''Ogres'' were used by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] in early drafts of the [[legendarium]] as a name for one of the monsters bred by [[Melkor]] along with [[Gongs]] and the other [[úvanimo|Úvanimor]].<ref>{{HM|LT1}}</ref>

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''Ogres'' were used by [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] in early drafts of the [[legendarium]] as a name for one of the monsters bred by [[Morgoth|Melkor]] along with [[Gongs]] and the other [[úvanimo|Úvanimor]].<ref>{{HM|LT1}}</ref>

They are mentioned as cannibal [[giant]]s. Those of the north were known as ''Hongwir'' while the southern ones were named ''Sarqindi''.<ref>{{PE|14}}, "The Creatures of the Earth"</ref> ''Sarqindi'' is glossed as "Cannibal-ogres".<ref>{{LT2|Appendix}}, p. 347</ref>

They are mentioned as cannibal [[giant]]s. Those of the north were known as ''Hongwir'' while the southern ones were named ''Sarqindi''.<ref>{{PE|14}}, "The Creatures of the Earth"</ref> ''Sarqindi'' is glossed as "Cannibal-ogres".<ref>{{LT2|Appendix}}, p. 347</ref>

Revision as of 15:37, 20 March 2012

"there are Tolkien's latest thoughts, his best thoughts, and his published thoughts and these are not necessarily the same." — Tolkien's Legendarium

Ogres were monstrous and destructive creatures of legend and folklore. In fact, it is doubtful whether Ogres ever existed in Middle-earth.

During the Riddle-game with Gollum, Bilbo Baggins in his attempt to solve Gollum's fifth riddle, he sat thinking of all the horrible names of all the giants and ogres he had ever heard told of in tales.[1].

No ogre is ever mentioned in the annals of the Elder Days and none played any role in the wars and battles. It is entirely possible that they were a mythical race.

It is also possible that Ogre were just another name for the Trolls.[2]

Other versions of the legendarium

They are mentioned as cannibal giants. Those of the north were known as Hongwir while the southern ones were named Sarqindi.[4]Sarqindi is glossed as "Cannibal-ogres".[5]

Tolkien mentioned again ogres out of context in analyses of the name Orc: "...the gloss Þyrs 'ogre'..." , and of the name Ettendales: "This is meant to be a Common Speech (not Elvish) name, though it contains an obsolete element eten 'troll, ogre'."[2]

Inspiration

In his childhood, Tolkien and his brother Hilary gave a miller and a farmer, who frightened the boys and lived near the Sarehole Mill in the Moseley area of Birmingham, the nicknames "White Ogre" and "Black Ogre", respectively.[6] These characters also appear in stories written by Hilary Tolkien.[7]

Tolkien enjoyed reading E.A. Wyke-Smith's The Marvellous Land of Snergs (1927) to his children. The book recounts the adventures of two children and a Snerg ("a race of people only slightly taller than the average table"), and their tale include meeting the vegetarian ogre Golithos.[8]